


Darkest Before...

by moonlight69



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Marauders, Marauders Friendship, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-30 01:51:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6403777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlight69/pseuds/moonlight69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sirius Black struggles with his inner demons, his friends are there to help. Set during the Marauders' time at Hogwarts, implied bipolar disorder.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Darkest Before...

Sirius Black thought he was God’s gift to the wizarding world, and why shouldn’t he? He was fit and fanciable, one of the brightest wizards in his year, as well as one of the most popular. He was from old money, but (much to his parents’ dismay and ire) free from the old ideals that accompanied it. There wasn’t a charm, hex, or incantation he couldn’t master if he set his mind to it, and he could fly, charm, and flirt all with similar ease. He was a rebel, a rake, a rogue. He was James Dean; he was Freddie Mercury.

That was when he was up, of course. When he was up, he would strut around Hogwarts as if he owned the bloody place, breaking hearts in his wake. He’d yet to meet a witch he couldn’t bed, and a fair number of wizards had fallen victim to his charms as well. And while it had gone badly for him on a handful of occasions, his charm and warmth were enough to win most of his conquests over, for them to remain on friendly terms even after it became obvious that they’d been a one-off.

When he was up, he would hold court in the Gryffindor common room, telling jokes, imitating professors, pulling pranks on fellow students that had them all roaring with laughter. He would smile and wink and pose and sprawl, drinking in the attention that was his due.

But sometimes, sometimes his smile would grow overly bright, his voice overly loud. Sometimes his pranks would take on an edge of meanness, or his flirtations would grow a bit too aggressive. When this happened, his three best friends would take note, keep watch, stay close...for they knew there was a fall on the horizon.

It was impossible to predict from the warning signs what form the fall would take, but they knew their roles whichever way Sirius fell. 

Peter’s role was easiest: he was tasked with simply watching. He’d been Sirius’ shadow for so long, it was a simple enough thing for him to do, to stay close and wait for the winds to change, to alert the others as to which way they blew when they at last did.

If the pranks escalated from mean to cruel, if his schemes took on a dangerous and self-destructive bent, it was James who stepped in, who went along but kept him in check, who stopped him just this side of destruction. James was his brother, his protector who kept him safe from his worst enemy in those times: himself.

And when the too-large smiles and too-needy flirtations faded all too quickly once they were alone, when Sirius made his excuses and went to his room only to curl up on his bed and stare unseeingly at the wall, when the darkness tried to drag him down, Remus was the one who knew how to keep him afloat, who would curl up against his back and anchor him with love and affection, would stroke his hair and whisper reassurances in his ear, that he was loved, he was worthy, he was nothing like the darkest shadow he saw within himself in those times.

There was no consistency in how long the fall would last. Sometimes the darkness would only touch Sirius for a day or two; he would wake and smile, thank his friends and head to breakfast ready once again to conquer the world. Sometimes it wasn’t so simple, and in those times keeping Sirius from falling too far, from slipping from their grasp completely was exhausting, but they played their parts without complaint even when he was at his worst, for the day always broke again and Sirius would be Sirius again; at least until the next fall.

So it had been for years, and so it would continue, for the four were bound tightly together, by loyalty, by shared secrets, by truth and friendship and love. They were the Marauders, and to a man they would fight, sacrifice, and die for each other.

Or so they thought.


End file.
